Turn button lock



7, 1956 E. w. NORTH ET AL 2,733,946

TURN BUTTON LOCK Filed Aug. 7, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l EZl/UliO/W WU id. 7201 Ma/m/ M0224 7, 1956 E. w. NORTH ET AL 2,733,946

TURN BUTTON LOCK @IMKW 041%,

Feb. 7, 1 5 E. w. NORTH ETAL TURN BUTTON LOCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 7, 1952 ,zlzybmcdg @wv Zd. mix/a WW fJZ Zdilum/ United States Patent TURN BU'I'ION LOCK Edwin W. North, Rockford, Ill., and William B. Wilson, La Habra, Calif., assignors to National Lock Company, Rockford, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 7, 1952, Serial No. 303,093

9 Claims. (Cl. 292-169) The present invention relates to a novel lock construction in which the latch bolt may be locked against retraction from the exterior by a turn button on the inner knob.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a novel lock assembly for a door or closure including separate cam members having a knob afiixed to their outer ends and their adjacent inner ends formed to provide overlapping arcuate camming projections each adapted to retract the latch bolt upon turning of its knob, and an inner reinforcing tube connecting these cam members at their camming ends and carrying locking mechanism for preventing retraction of the latch bolt by turning of the outer knob.

A further object of the present invention is the provision in a door lock of the type provided with a knob on the interior and exterior of the door of a novel means and mechanism for retracting the latch bolt and for locking the exterior knob against rotation or retraction of the latch bolt upon manipulating a turn button on the interior knob.

In its novel disclosed embodiment, the present invention comprehends the provision of a pair of cam members each comprising a split tube, one afiixed to and rotated by the inner knob and the other afiixed to and rotated by the outer knob, with each of their inner ends notched to provide an arcuate camming projection disposed in overlapping and concentric relation whereby rotation of either causes its camming projection to retract the latch bolt, a center tube disposed within and connecting and reinforcing these tubular cam members, and a locking lever carried by this center tube and actuated by a projection on the inner knob for locking the outer cam tube and its knob against turning movement and retraction of the latch bolt.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of novel operating mechanism for a door lock having a latch bolt adapted to be retracted by rotation of either the inner or outer knob of the lock and provided with locking mechanism for preventing turning of the outer knob and its retraction of the latch bolt, but permitting retraction of the latch .bolt by turning .of the inner knob.

The present invention further comprehends the provision of a novel latch or lock assembly including a pair of split tubular cam members and an inner tube con centrically arranged, the tubular cam members each carrying a knob at one end and with the other end of each other knob against rotation and retraction of the latch bolt.

Further objects are to provide aconstruction of maxice 2 imum simplicity, efliciency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present novel turn button lock construction assembled in operative position in a door or other closure.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cam tube assembly ready for insertion into its bore in a door or other closure, after which the inner clamp plate, escutcheon and inner knob are assembled on the cam tube assembly.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the latch bolt assembly ready for insertion into the cam tube assembly.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in horizontal cross section taken longitudinally through the completely assembled lock construction and showing it mounted in a door or closure.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the assembled outer cam member, the center tube, the locking lever, the turn button stem and the turn button and showing the manner of joining these parts in the encompassing housing and clamping plate, the housing and clamping plate being broken away for a more complete disclosure of the assembled parts and the turn button and its stem rotated to unlocked position.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the inner cam member and its clamping plate removed from the outer cam assembly and the associated parts of Fig. 5, but adapted to be assembled thereon in the manner shown in Fig. 4. v

Fig. 7 is a disassembled view in perspective of the parts of the assembly shown in Fig. 5, including in sequence the tubular cam member at the outer side of the assembly, the center tube, the locking lever spring, the locking lever, the turn button stem and the turn button secured to the stem.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings and to the novel illustrative embodiment therein shown, the present lock construction is adapted for use with a door or closure having a latch bolt capable of being locked or unlocked from the interior of a room or enclosure by the rotation of a turn button. When the button is turned to locked position, the inner knob may be turned to retract the latch bolt and to open the door, but such turning does not release the button from its locked position so that upon again closing the door, the door remains locked and cannot be opened from the exterior. However, when the turn button on the inner knob is turned to vunlocked position, free access is permitted from the interior or exterior by a mere turning of either knob which causes retraction of the latch bolt.

The present novel illustrative embodiment of the present lock comprises a cam tube assembly or unit 10 (Fig. 2) and a latch bolt assembly or unit 11 (Fig. 3) adapted to be pro-assembled and readily combined in a door or other closure 12. In the final assembly of these units in the door or closure, the cam tube assembly or unit 19 with its outer knob 13 and escutcheon 14 clinched thereto is partially inserted into a transverse bore or opening in the door after which the latch bolt assembly 11 is inserted into a bore ,or opening in the edge of the door or closure 12 and connecting with the transverse bore, whereby the projected end 15 of the latch assembly 11 is located within an opening 17 in the cam tube housing 18 in such manner that the oppositely opening transverse slots 19 in the bolt housing 16 are aligned with but spaced laterally of the inwardly projecting tongues or lips 21 formed on the inturned flanges 22 of the housing. Then projecting the cam tube assembly inwardly to the limit of its movement causes the tongues or lips 21 on the housing 18 to enter the aligned slots 19 on the latch bolt housing 16, whereupon these separate units are located in their operative position and merely require the addition in sequence of the inner clamping plate, escutcheon 23 and the inner knob 24.

Referring more specifically to the detailed disclosure in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7, the outer knob 13 is secured to an outer cam in the form of a tubular cam member 25 longitudinally slotted at 26 and adapted to receive in this slot a detent 27 on the tubular open end 28 of the knob whereby the knob 13 is slidably mounted on the tubular member 25. This tubular end 28 of the knob 13 is then clinched to the outer cam member 25 by a tongue or projection 29 forced into an opening or slot 31 in the cam member.

The outer cam member 25 is cut away or notched at its inner end to provide an arcuate camming projection 32 with its spaced sides providing longitudinally extending camming edges 33, and is also provided with an elevated projection 34 adjacent to but spaced outwardly or rearwardly from its camrning end to provide a stop or abutment.

The inner knob 24 is removably mounted upon an inner cam or tubular cam member 35 by means of a detent 36 adapted to be received in a longitudinal slot 37 in this cam member. To retain the knob 24 in fixed position upon the cam member, there is provided a snap spring 38 secured at one end to the interior of the tubular cam member 35 by means of a rivet or the like 39, and at its other or free end this snap spring is provided with a latching button 41 adapted to be received in an opening 42 in the cam member 35 and in an aligned opening in the tubular extension 43 of the knob 24. All that is required to release the knob 24 is to employ a pointed tool or other object to depress the button 41 against the tension of the spring 38 and to withdraw the knob.

At its inner end the inner cam or cam tube 35 (Figs. 4 and 6) is expanded or enlarged and cut away or notched to provide an arcuate camming projection 44 adapted to overlap the arcuate cumming projection 32 of the outer cam or cam tube 25, and with its spaced sides providing longitudinally extending camming edges or surfaces 45. When assembled, the extreme inner end of the cam tube 35 is adapted to abut against the projection or stop 34 to dispose these cam members in their proper operative relationship. Adjacent the outer end of this arcuate camming projection 44, this enlargement is provided with an outwardly projecting tongue or lip 46 providing a stop or abutment for the end wall or closure 47 of the housing 18.

A center tube 48 is inserted into and provides a reinforcement for the adjoining ends of the cam members 25 and 35 and a carrier housing and supporting locking means hereinafter referred to. This tube is shown in detail in Figs. 4, and 7, and at its outer end is provided with inturned spaced flanges 49 adapted to abut indentations 51 in the cam tube 25 providing stops or abutments for properly locating this end of the center tube 48 in the cam tube. Adjacent its other end the center tube 48 is provided with a camrning slot 52 for receiving a stern pin 53 carried by and projecting from the outer enlarged end 54 of a turn button stem 55.

The turn button stem 55 is of tubular construction and has aflixed to its outer end at 66 a turn button 56 for rotating this stein through an arc of approximately 90 from its unlocked to its locked position as defined by the camming slot 52 in the center tube 48. When in unlocked position, the pin 53 is located in the wide end of the slot 52 as shown in Fig. 5, and when the turn button 56 and its stem 55 are turned or rotated through an arc of approximately 90 from this unlocked position the pin 53 is moved to the narrow end of the slot 52.

Intermediate its ends, the center tube is cut away or notched at 57 and 58, with these notches or slots of the center tube so located as to be aligned with the notched ends of projections 32 and 44 of the cam tubes 25 and 35, respectively, and with these aligned notches opening outwardly.

Within the center tube 48 is positioned a longitudinally movable and slidably mounted locking lever 59 slotted at 61 intermediate its length to provide spaced, outwardly extending projections 62 and 63 and a coil spring 64 seating at one end against the longer projection 62 of the lever 59 and retained in position upon an outwardly projecting lug 65 of the locking lever, and at its other end seating against the spaced inturned flanges 49 on the end of the center tube 48.

This coil spring 64 spring-biases the locking lever 59 to the right or toward the inner knob 24 and moves the longer projection 62 carried in the slot 26 of the cam tube 25 out of its locking position in a slot 66 in the end wall 67 of the stationary cam tube housing 16 whenever the turn button 56 is turned to its unlocked position (Fig. 5). As the turn button 56 is staked or rigidly attached at 60 (Fig. 4) to the turn button stem 55, release of the turn button and its stern can only be accomplished by a manual turning thereof whereby the stem pin 53 is moved from the lower narrow end of its cainming slot 52 to the upper and wider end of this camrning slot.

Thus when the turn button 56 is rotated to the release position, either the inner knob 24 or the outer knob 13 may be turned to open the door. But when the turn button is turned through an arc of approximately 90 from its unlocked position to lock the door, the inner knob 24 only may be turned to open the door but such turning of this knob without turning the turn button 56 does not release the turn button so that upon closing the door it is automatically locked and remains locked until opened from the interior by turning of the inner knob 24, or the turning of the button 56 to unlocked position, whereupon either knob may be turned. In other words, the turn button when once turned to locked position remains in locking position until manually released by grasping it and turning it back to its unlocked position.

Within the housing 18 and adjacent its opening 17 is disposed a floating push plate or follower 68 adapted to be rocked and in such rocking movement depresses the projected end 15 of the latch bolt assembly 11. This projected end provides a pusher or slide member, which when depressed retracts the latch bolt 69. The push plate or follower 68 (Figs. 2 and 4) is wider at one end 71 and has both ends bent or inturned to provide inwardly and rearwardly projecting flanges 72 and 73 adapted to be engaged by the camming edges 33 of the projected end 32 of the cam tube 25, and by the camming edges 45 of the projected end 44 of the cam tube 35, when these cam tubes are rotated by their knobs. A coil spring 74 having its ends 75 located within the flanges 72 of the follower or push plate 68 retains the latter in neutral position, while spaced inturned flanges 76 on the housing 18 limit the rocking movement of this follower or push plate 68 which floats within the housing.

The end wall 67 of the housing is provided with a hub 77 providing a bearing for rotatably receiving the cam tube 25, and is externally threaded for detachably receiving the threaded hub 78 of an outer clamping plate 79 adapted to abut at 81 the exterior surface of the door or closure 12. When properly assembled the clamping plate 79 is retained in position by the end of a screw or the like 82 carried in the end wall 67 of the housing and with the end of the screw adapted to enter an opening or slot 83 in the outer clamping plate 79. The open end of the housing is closed by the end wall or cover 47 provided with a hub 84 forming a bearing for the inner cam tube 35 and upon which hub is slidably mounted an inner clamping plate 85.

As shown in Fig. 2, this cover 47 is retained on the housing by spaced crimped flanges or tongues 86, and is provided with spaced machine screws 87 for detachably receiving the inner clamping plate 85. After this clamping plate is anchored in its proper position upon the cover 47 and in which position it abuts at 88 the inner face of the door, the escutcheon 23 is then applied and detachably held in assembled-position by spaced snaps or detents 89 interlocking with the peripheral edge or flange 91 of the clamping plate 85. The knob 24 is then applied to complete the assembly.

From the above description and the disclosure in the drawings, it will be seen that when the turn button 56 is moved to its release or unlocked position, the projection or leg 62 of the locking lever 59, which is slidably mounted in the inner end of the slot 26 of the outer cam tube 25, is held out of the slot 66 in the end wall 67 of the stationary housing 18 so that the camtube 25 and its knob 13 may be turned to retract the latching bolt. When the button 56 is turned to locked position, this projection 62 on the locking lever 59 enters the slot 66, whereupon the outer cam tube 25 and its knob 13 are prevented from rotating and thus prevented from retracting the latching bolt from the exterior of the door. However, such locking does not affect the retraction of the latch bolt by turning the inner knob 24 and its cam tube 35.

Having thus disclosed the invention, we claim:

1. Mechanism adapted to operate a retractable latch bolt, comprising a cam unit assembly including an inner and an outer longitudinally slotted tubular member having inner camming ends one of which is enlarged and arranged in overlapping relation with the other for retracting the latch bolt, a knob attached to each of the outwardly projecting ends of said members at the opposite sides of the closure for retracting the latch bolt upon turning of a knob, a reinforcing sleeve in and connecting the adjoining camming ends, a locking member longitudinally movable in and carried by said sleeve and provided with a locking projection slidable in the longitudinal slot of the outer tubular member and in an aligned slot of said sleeve, means exterior of said outer tubular member for receiving said locking projection to lock the outer knob and member against rotation, and a turn button on the inner knob for controlling operation of the locking member.

2. Mechanism adapted to operate a latch bolt and including a knob at the outside of a door and a manually operable locking button associated with a knob at the inside of the door and adapted to lock the door to the exterior to assure privacy, longitudinally slotted tubular cam members having camming means at their inner, adjoining ends for retracting the latch bolt by turning of either knob when unlocked, locking means operated by movement of the locking button and including a longitudinally movable member having a laterally extending locking projection protruding through the longitudinal slot of the outer tubular cam member for locking the outer knob against rotation, and an inner sleeve connecting said cam members for reinforcing the same and carrying said locking means with the locking projection protruding laterally through said inner sleeve.

3. Mechanism adapted to operate a latch bolt and including a knob at the outside of a door and a manually operable locking means operable from a knob at the inside of the door for locking the door from the interior to assure privacy, a pair of longitudinally slotted cam members for retracting the latch bolt and with the opposite ends thereof extending to the opposite sides of the door and thereat mounting the knobs, means on each knob adapted to be received in the slot of its cam member for removably mounting the knob thereon, an inner tube disposed within and connecting said cam members, and a slidably mounted locking lever carried by the inner tube and actuated by said locking means for locking the outer knob and its cam member against rotation but permitting free rotation of the inner knob without releasing said locking means, said locking lever having a locking projection protruding through the slot in the outer longitudinally slotted cam member and through the inner tube.

4. Mechanism adapted to operate a latch bolt, comprising a housing, a pair of tubular cam members extending through the housing with their inner adjacent ends having camming means for retracting the latch bolt, a knob mounted on the outer end of each cam member at the outside and inside of the door for rotating its cam member, an inner tube disposed within and conmeeting said cam members, projections on said tubular cam members for locating and aligning said members and the inner tube in assembled relation, and locking means carried by the inner tube and operated from the inner knob and including a locking projection protruding through a'slot in the inner tube and a slot in the outer carn member and into a slot in the housing for locking the outside knob and its cam member against rotation and retraction of the latch bolt but permitting free rotation of the inner knob without releasing said locking means.

5. Mechanism adapted to operate a latch bolt and including a knob at each side of a door for retracting the latch bolt, a pair of aligned split tubular cam members having their inner, adjoining camming ends projecting into the housing with a knob mounted on the outer slotted end of each member, a reinforcing inner sleeve joining the inner ends of said members, a turn button at the inner knob and a stem connected at one end to the button and its other end rotatable and longitudinally movable in the inner sleeve, a locking member slidably mounted in the inner sleeve and longitudinally movable upon turning of the button and provided with a projecting part extending through the slot in and adapted to lock the cam member carrying the outer knob against rotation, means for retaining the turn button and its stem in locking position, and means actuated by the camming projection on the cam member carrying the inner knob for retracting the latch bolt with the outer knob and its cam member locked against rotation upon turning of the inner knob.

6. Mechanism adapted to operate a retractable latch bolt, comprising a housing adapted to be mounted in a transverse opening of a door or other closure, a pair of aligned split tubular members having their inner, adjoining ends projecting into the housing and said ends being notched to provide arcuate camming projections, a knob mounted on the outer slotted end of each member and provided with a locking projection received in the slot of its tubular member, a reinforcing inner sleeve joining the inner ends of said members, a turn button in the inner knob and a stern connected at its outer end to thebutton and its inner end conformably received and rotatably mounted in the inner sleeve, a pin and slot connection between the inner end of the stem and the inner sleeve, a locking lever slidably mounted in the inner sleeve and movable upon rotation of the button and its stem for locking the outer member and its knob against rotation, and means actuated by the camming projection on the inner member upon turning of the inner knob and its tubular member for retracting the latch bolt with the outer member.

7. Mechanism adapted to operate a latch bolt and including a knob at the outer side of a door and a manually actuated locking button associated with a knob at the inner side of the door, aligned inner and outer longitudinally slotted cam tubes to the outer ends of which the knobs are aliixed with each knob having a projection received in the slot of its cam tube and with the adjacent inner ends of these tubes notched to pro vide overlapping arcuate camming projections, a housing enclosing these camming projections with each cam tube projecting through and rotatable in an end wall of the housing, a longitudinally slotted inner tube received in the adjacent ends of the cam tubes for reinforcing the same, and locking mechanism connected to the button and housed within and slidably mounted in the ,MMM

inner tube and in the outer cam tube and provided with a locking projection projecting laterally through the longitudinal slots in the inner tube and the outer cam tube, said mechanism being actuated by movement of the button to locking position whereby the locking projection is forced into a slot in the housing and retains the outer cam tube and its knob against rotation but permits the inner knob and its cam tube to rotate and retract the latch bolt by turning movement of the arcuate camming projection on said last mentioned tube.

8. Mechanism adapted to operate a retractable latch bolt, a cam unit assembly including a stationary housing fitting conformably in a transverse opening in the door, a pair of longitudinally slotted tubular cam members each rotatably mounted in an end wall of the housing, a knob attached to the outwardly projecting ends of said members at the opposite sides of the door and provided with locking means projecting into the slot of its tubular cam member, camming edges on the adjoining ends of said tubular members in said housing for retracting the latch bolt upon turning of a knob and the camming edges of its tubular member, an inner tube conformably received in and connecting the adjoining ends of the tubular members, said tube being slotted intermediate its length and said housing provided with an opening aligned with the slot and the camming edges of said tubular members, rocking means in the opening in said housing and in the slot of said inner tube and adjacent the camming edges on said tubular members, a locking member longitudinally movable in the inner tube and having a lateral projection received in the slot of the tubular member carrying the knob at the outside of the door and adapted to be received in a slot in the housing, and means in the knob at the inside of the door to move the locking member and cause its projection to move in the slot of the outer tubular member and enter the slot in the housing to lock the knob at the outside of the door against rotation but permitting free rotation of the inner knob without releasing said locking member.

9. Mechanism adapted to operate a retractable latch bolt, comprising a housing adapted to be mounted a transverse opening of a door or other closure, a pair of aligned split tubular members providing, an outer and an inner cam member and having their inner, adjoining ends projecting into the housing, a knob mounted on the outer end of each member, a reinforcing inner sleeve joining the inner ends of said members, said ends and the adjacent portion of the inner sleeve being notched and the ends of said members providing longitudinally extending arcuate projections with their longitudinal edges forming camming surfaces, a follower in said housing disposed adjacent and adapted to be rocked by the camming surfaces of either of said members as said member is rotated by turning of its knob to retract the latch bolt, a locking member longitudinally movable in and carried by the inner sleeve, and provided with a laterally extending locking projection protruding through the inner sleeve and through the outer tubular member, a turn button rotatably mounted in the knob on the outer end of the inner tubular member, a turn button stem connected at one end to the turn button and its other end abutting said locking member and received in the encompassing inner sleeve, a projection carried by the stem and received in a cam slot in the inner sleeve for longitudinally moving said locking member into locking engagement with a slot in the housing upon turning of the button whereby to retain the outer tubular member and its knob against rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,876,885 Ellingson Sept. 13, 1932 1,991,031 Schlage Feb. 12, 1935 2,038,907 Schlage Apr. 28, 1936 2,193,349 Schlage Mar. 12, 1940 2,683,053 Russell et al. July 6, 1954 swa 1 

